This invention relates to a structure for mounting a liquid crystal display (LCD) in a portable computer housing and a method for making the mounting structure.
Conventionally, computers do not have impact absorption features to protect fragile components, such as LCDs, from damage due to dropping or other day-to-day handling of the computer. The conventional computer LCDs are mounted in a metal frame or hard plastic two-piece shell which structurally supports the LCD, but offers little protection against damage. Conventional lap-top computers are more prone to damage because they are transported more frequently. The conventional lap-top computer offers no more protection against damage to its fragile components, such as its LCD, than desk-top computers. Only the size of the computer and the location of the fragile structures within are factors which might reduce the potential for damage should the lap-top computer be dropped.
As portable computers become smaller, their associated compact structures have even less damage prevention capability. Furthermore, the more compact the portable computer is, the more frequently it will be transported. If the portable computer is transported more frequently during day-to-day use, the probability that it will be dropped, sat on, bent or otherwise mishandled increases. Therefore, the fragile LCD is more vulnerable to damage as the size of the computer decreases. Impact absorption features must be designed into the portable computer to minimize this vulnerability and make the portable computer durable over its lifetime.